Johnny Damon Takes Swipe at Yankees, Brian Cashman Swings Back

Johnny Damon was officially introduced by Detroit yesterday, and he began his tenure with the Tigers by talking about how badly he wanted to remain a Yankee, and how his former club wronged him. Said Damon: "We're coming off a great year and you're told you've gotta take a pay cut. You're kind of like, 'A pay cut? What the heck?' It's a little humbling." He kept going: "You're like, 'Wow, is that what they really think of me? Or what I do for the ballclub?' I did a lot for the ballclub. I even recruited (free agents) for those guys. I did everything." Responded Brian Cashman: "When we signed him (for four years, $52 million), he was playing center field, a premium position, and the market was high. Now he's a left fielder, he's 36, in a collapsed market. Why would he not expect to take a pay cut?" Whatever you think of how this all played out, you have to admit, Cashman's got a point. [NYDN]